Always
by AquaShu
Summary: One year after Squall, Zell, and the other's battle with Ultimecia, Zell decides to chase his passion... Seifer.
1. Dreams

...He stood there. Staring at the young man who'd tortured him for so long. His blonde hair, ever confident smile. Even his scar, the one Squall gave to him so long ago, seemed so perfect. And drove him wild. How Zell had always wished and hoped Seifer would be able to return the feelings he'd secretly harbored. For so long, it was maddening....  
  
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!  
  
Zell moaned softly and hit his alarm clock.... a bit too hard. He heard the smash of the brand-new clock and groaned, realizing what he'd accomplished. 'Shit. This is the fifth one in the past week!' Zell rolled off his side to his stomach, burying his head in his chocobo feather pillow. 'What had he been dreaming about that had him so angry?' "...Seifer...." He mumbled the name into the pillow bitterly. Only Seifer could bring out such a rage in him, but not a rage of hate, like everyone thought. This rage, was a rage of passion with an ounce or two of confusion. He'd suffered more verbal abuse from that man alone than anyone else. Combined. Oddly enough, this just made Zell secretly want Seifer more. Even though he felt this way, why had he dreamt about him so often lately? Zell, Squall, or any of the others hadn't seen or spoken to the blonde wonder for a year. Not since that hellish occurrence called Time Compression...  
  
The now broken alarm clock on the nightstand was beginning to give off an odor, like sulfur and burning rubber. Zell gagged at the smell and covered his mouth. He couldn't stand disgusting smells. Zell turned and sat up straight in his black satin sheets, on the king-size mattress, pulling the satin off of him. If he didn't get up now, he'd never get up. He would lie around in bed all day thinking and dreaming of Seifer. He knew that much from experience... Plus the smashed clock was about to make him vomit with its horrible smell. Zell put his feet on the floor and unplugged the torture device. With a whip of his hand he tossed the clock into the trash can across the room. "Perfect shot," Zell said to himself triumphantly.  
  
Zell stumbled into the bathroom still a bit groggy, starting up the shower. He stripped of his silky black boxers and stepped in the shower, feeling the cold water send a rush of excitement through his body waking him up fully. He shivered for a moment, then turned the shower dial to hot and slowly felt the warm embrace of the heated water's embrace. Zell shampooed his blonde hair and grabbed the bar of soap, rubbing it across his chest slowly. Soaping himself all over, he ran his hands down his body, wondering what it might feel like if Seifer was running his hands down Zell's muscled self...  
  
Zell's attraction to Seifer had always been there. At least since he was 13. He'd always admired Seifer for his never-ending confidence. Zell had never told his feelings for Seifer to anyone. It was stupid really, he was 18 now and he still couldn't put up with 'chicken-wuss' from Seifer even now. But he just couldn't help himself.  
  
The tattooed blond stepped out of his warm shower, grabbing a royal purple towel to dry off. Zell dried his hair a bit then wrapped the towel around his waist, tying it with a knot. He squirted some gel into his palm and worked it through his hair, making it as spikey as ever. Zell took out his razor and started to shave thinking, 'Just the same old stupid morning routine. Nothing new.' Nothing WAS new after all, here at Balamb Garden anyway. Squall and Rinoa were still dating, but had gotten a bit more serious. Quisty had started back up as an instructor a few months after they'd defeated Ultimecia, but was still a SeeD part time. Irvine and Selphie had started a real relationship , but decided it'd be best just to be friends a few months later. Irvine had then joined the Library Committee surprisingly, but only to get closer to a few of the girls. Selphie slowly had started to prepare for an actual Garden Festival, again. As for himself, Zell had started a Martial Arts group and taught the junior classmen fighting skills.  
  
However, outside was an entirely different story. Rinoa had led Timber to its independence with her increased fighting skills and Sorceress powers. It had taken her roughly one month after their battle with Ultimecia to restart her liberation movement, and it had taken Timber roughly one week to gain that independence from Galbadia. Thanks to its Sorceress and to SeeD, a few battle and Galbadia retreated immediately. The country who had once held the world hostage with an iron fist also retreated from Dollet and places alike in fear of the new Sorceress Rinoa and SeeD combined. Esthar had come out of its isolation, sharing all its new and innovative inventions. But none of that really mattered to the still-wet-Zell.  
  
All Zell had been able to think about for the last ever was Seifer. It wasn't really any secret that Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin were living in Balamb now. But no one had gone to, seen, or talked to Seifer there after his little traitorous turn. So he'd decided, this weekend he was going to visit his mom in Balamb, while secretly keeping an eye out for Seifer. It was a simple plan. Stay in Balamb, talk and hang out with old friends, see Seifer and. And. And. Zell was stumped at what to do at that point. "I'll think of that later on," he'd told himself, but tomorrow was Friday and he was running out of later on's.  
  
Zell walked into his SeeD-Grand-Deluxe-personal apartment's living room, with its leather plush couch and soft dark purple carpets. The garden really did favor its SeeD's. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 11:45 a.m. Lunch started at noon. The hotdog line was probably already hell and soon would be never ending. He had to run now. Zell snatched some soft green boxer-briefs and hastily shoved his legs in some dark blue shorts, pulling down a black T-shirt, he ran out of his place and to the cafeteria. 


	2. The Best

"ONE!?!? ALL YOU'VE GOT LEFT IS ONE!?" The cafeteria froze, all eyes fixated on the two. The scream echoed off the pale grey walls.  
  
"Uh, yeah, you should know better than anyone else that the hotdogs go fast Zell!" The lunch lady replied back dully. She was all too used to hearing the screams and whines of people when the hotdogs for the day were gone. If only the kids knew how hard it was to get Behemoth meat from vendors, it was a wonder they had any left. "So, are you just going to stand there and scream all day? I've got better things to do then listen to windbag blondes like you." The lady paused to see whether or not Zell was going to move. She saw his teeth clinch and his lips curly slightly back. "Move along. Now." She added, trying to sound demanding but only ended up sounding a little scared.  
  
Zell stared at the wart on the rude, old hag's face. Wishing it would explode all over her face. He decided to move along now, there wasn't anything he could do and students were still staring at the two. He wasn't going to be dragged out of the cafeteria by the Discipline Committee anyway. Zell clutched onto his hotdog and walked over to the relish, ketchup, and mustard dispenser. He heard his sneakers squeak a few times on the floor, the room had stopped staring but it was still dead silent. Zell pilled on the relish, ketchup, and mustard hoping that by having more on the hotdog, it might last longer. He walked over to a lone booth in the corner, where hardly any light lingered, trying to dodge peoples piercing eyes along the way. 'At least ALL of them aren't staring anymore' he thought to himself, stuffing the entire front half of the hotdog into his mouth at once.  
  
Rinoa walked into the cafeteria and paused, "Why is it so quiet in here," she whispered to herself softly. The cafeteria was pretty full and for the most part, quiet, most people were whispering and others just eating. Giving the room the sound of buzzing bees and smacking. Disgusting. The room was was illuminated by sunlight, streaming in through sky lights and windows except for a few corners. She saw some students at a table, pointing to a booth in the corner and laughing. Rinoa squinted from across the room and saw Zell sitting in down in the booth. She passed bu the buzzing and smacking tables and plopped down in the seat across from Zell. "Hey..." Rinoa had started, and got a small wave from him in response. "So, uh, what's up?"  
  
Zell gulped down the half of his hotdog stuffed in his mouth replying, "Nothing..." in a melancholic tone. He saw some people staring and laughing from the corner of his eye, and turned his head to the pale grey wall hoping no one would see his face turn slightly pink.  
  
Rinoa looked at Zell's reaction a bit puzzled, then noticed the people at the nearest table snickering. Rinoa shot them an ice cold stare and felt a rush of freezing air pass by her, swiping at the other table's faces. The entire table shivered vigorously, shared a shocked look on their faces, then turned around instantly silenced. "Whoops," she muttered with a grin at the table.It'd been nearly a year since she'd inherited Edea's Sorceress powers, but she had managed to master them, with a great deal of help from her Squall. "I guess I just don't know my own strength!" Rinoa smiled cheerfully, pretending the whole thing had been an innocent accident.  
  
Zell gave a small chuckle, turning his head away from the boring wall to look at Rinoa. "Thanks," he grinned.  
  
"Ah no problem, besides they're jerks. I should have given them more than a small shiver." Rinoa replied encouragingly. She looked into Zell's twinkling eyes, scanning, trying to figure out what was up.  
  
Zell finished off what was left of his hotdog in one bite and smirked, "Lets blow this place. Quad?" Rinoa and he stood up and walked past the cafeteria which, by now, had turned more or less normal. The two walked in silence side by side down the hall, just listening to the liveliness of the garden on their way to the Quad.  
  
Rinoa broke their mutual silence walking down the steps, "What was up with the bad of freaks in there?" The two sat down on a sun-warmed bench behind a row of potted roses.  
  
"Nothing...." Zell started, and received a sarcastic look from Rinoa. "Well, nothing really..." Then, he spilled his guts. Zell told her about the smashed clock (leaving out the details of his Seifer dream), the rude old witch, walking past the pairs of eyes afterwards, and all about the past week which had been building up. "Its stupid, I know, but I've just had kind of a bad week or something and today didn't help." It sounded really stupid in his head, but even more so spilling it out to his best friend Rinoa. After the whole ordeal with Ultimecia, everyone in the "group" (as he so called it) became closer. But Rinoa and Zell, they had formed a special, sacred even, best friend bond. Zell knew he could tell her anything, but thought it best to tell her he was bisexual when he had a boyfriend or something.  
  
"Hehehe, its okay, everyone has bad days! Except for Zell Dincht, he has not only bad days, but bad week and months and so on!" Rinoa stuck out her tongue playfully at Zell and smiled.  
  
"Oh, excuse Mr. Dincht as he obviously depresses the "Great Almighty Rinoa Heartily," Sorceress of all that is happy, fluffy, and anything that does the naughty with Squall! With his bad weeks and months and so on." Zell stuck out his tongue farther at Rinoa and blew a raspberry. Rinoa blinked for a few seconds, a retaliated with a bigger, wetter raspberry. Soon the two had become engaged in a raspberry war to end ALL raspberry wars! Only stopping once each other's clothes became soaked and started to cling to their skin.  
  
There was a moment of silence between the two before they erupted in laughter to the point of tears.  
  
"HAHAHAHA! You should see how silly and stupid you look! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Zell screamed, gasping for breath. He started to hold his stomach and sides laughing in pain.  
  
"ME!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're the one who looks silly and stupid!!!" Rinoa screamed back, also beginning to clutch her sides from pain. She watched Zell continuing to laugh until she saw him fall off the bench and roll on the floor with laughter. This only made her laugh harder and her faced became streamed with tears.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!" Zell laughed also starting to cry.  
  
"HEHEHEHEHEHAAHAAHAAAA!!!" Rinoa giggled and screamed.  
  
The laugh fest went on for a few more minutes until both Rinoa and Zell couldn't laugh anymore, not without rupturing vital organs they might need later on. This, of course, did not stop the pair of best friends from grinning insanely while trying not to laugh. A gentle, warm breezed passed by and whipped through Rinoa's soft black hair pushing it into her face.  
  
"If I didn't know any better I'd suspect you two were fuck buddies!" came a familiar voice from behind the roses. Out stepped Irvine Kinneas, breezing pushing his long auburn braid off his should, letting it fly behind him. He looked at Zell, "Doesn't your Martial Arts Fan club meet every Thursday or something at like 4 p.m.? Seeing as its about 3:55 and it is a Thursday don't you think you should get to your screaming fans?" Irvine smiled at Rinoa and Zell and stuck out his tongue. Only to get blasted and showered by a teamed double raspberry.  
  
All three of them stared for a few moments, then shared a short burst of laughter. The three stopped after a few seconds for many reasons, Rinoa and Zell felt like keeping their kidneys, and Irvine because he's just gotten his favorite purple shirt cleaned earlier, only to have a Dincht- Heartily shower.  
  
"Well, thanks for the everything and the shower." Zell winked at Rinoa and irvine and stuck out his tongue again, bouncing foot to foot before running to change shirts and head to the Training Center.  
  
"You're welcome you loser!" Rinoa yelled after him with a giant grin spread across her face. 


End file.
